The present invention relates to a new video recorder, camera or camcorder mounting and tracking system for automatically tracking, monitoring and recording moving subjects. The term camcorder will be understood to refer to an integrated Picture and Television Engineers. That article describes an automatic television camera tracking system that signals.
The present invention is intended primarily as an accessory assembly for video recorder cameras or camcorders to provide automated tracking and recording assemblies for recreational use, instructional use, security systems, institutional uses, and military, commercial, and industrial applications. For example, the invention may advantageously be employed to direct a camera in hazardous environmental locations.
The invention is particularly suitable for use with video cameras and camcorders although those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention may also be used with a conventional movie picture camera. It will also be understood by those skilled in the art that there may be some situations where even still cameras may desirably be used with this apparatus. It will also be understood that the invention has application to other apparatus other than cameras which may be desirably be caused to align a structure with a moving object. For example, a telescope could be mounted to track a moving transmitter.
The prior art includes an article entitled "A Television System With Automatic Target Tracking Capability" By Mark G. Lowenstein, appearing in the December 1967, issue, volume 76, page 1189 of the Journal of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers. United States Pat. Nos.which describe apparatus which is very generally relevant include 3,988,534, 4,121,246, 4,438,848, 4,513,317 and 4,515,455. That article describes an automatic television camera tracking system that tracks a moving target. That apparatus is capable of tracking an object that positively or negatively contrasts with the background of the object and does not use a discrete transmitter as does the present invention. That apparatus is not particularly suited for the markets for which the present apparatus is intended in that it is more expensive and complicated to build and maintain than the present invention. In addition, that apparatus is much more vulnerable to losing the object being tracked such as when the background of the object becomes similar to the object.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,988,534; 4,121,246; 4,386,848; 4,513,317 and 4,515,455 describe apparatus which is generally relevant.
It is an object of the invention to provide an apparatus which will positively track an object carrying a transmitter in accordance with the invention.
It is another object of the invention to provide apparatus which will be easy to use.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide apparatus which smoothly accelerates and decelerates when following an object so that, in the case of a camera, high quality pictures are produced. Still another object of the invention is to provide apparatus that has a relatively simple construction and thus may be inexpensively constructed and maintained.